Not Large But Still In Charge
by americanstalker
Summary: Let's be honest, babies can be like little generals. Takes place in the Robbie-verse. Entry in the 2019 SSSW Challenge


Not Large, But Still in Charge

_Let's be honest, babies can be little like generals. Takes place in the Robbie-verse. Entry in the 2019 SSSW Challenge_

"Waaaaa!" Robbie cried from his dad's room.

"I'm coming!" Hogan called to his son, who had just woken up from his nap. It had been a frustrating week, learning how to determine what his child needed based on the type of cry. This time, the baby needed a diaper change.

He quickly took out a towel, one of Newkirk's homemade diapers, and some pins, grabbed a warm washcloth, and made sure he had powder at the ready. He had learned to keep his son's front covered to avoid getting sprayed like he did the first time, which is what Hogan did as soon as he wiped the baby off and reached for the powder.

After speedily cleaning, powdering, diapering, and re-dressing his son, he pronounced him "all clean." Hogan then grabbed the black bag and packed it with diapers, powder, a towel, a washcloth, a blanket, and extra clothes, and grabbed the bottle from the icebox.

"Where are you going, Gov?" Newkirk asked as he smoked a cigarette outside. Smoking inside Barracks 2 had been forbidden since Robbie came along.

"To the rec hall. I'm taking Robbie with me so he can learn about good music," Hogan told the British corporal.

"All right. Have a good time, Sir. Could I take him for a walk when you get back?" Newkirk asked as he finished his smoke and got ready to go back inside.

"We'll see," Hogan shouted as he went over to the surprisingly-open recreation building. Tommy Dorsey records were indeed spinning, so he took a seat with his son in his lap, bouncing him on his knees to the tempo of the music.

The baby cried again. This time, it was because he was hungry.

LeBeau took out the bottle from the icebox, warmed it up, and after pronouncing it "perfect," sat down to feed Robbie.

"I can't wait to feed you all the soups, peasant stew, beef burgundy, so many wonderful foods of your culture when you get older. You're going to love it," he told the child as he finished up the formula.

After burping the baby and wiping his face with a cloth, LeBeau placed the empty bottle in the sink so he could wash and sterilize it. He then placed Robbie gently on his bunk and went about the business of washing up.

Robbie was crying again, and this time Hogan suspected that his son was sick. He felt his son's forehead, which was extremely hot to the touch. The child also had a stuffed up nose, was coughing, and didn't feel like eating much.

"All right, mister. Let's take you to see Uncle Joe and see if he can make you all better," he told his son as they made a trip to the infirmary.

"How are you, Sir? And how's Junior?" Sergeant Wilson asked as he greeted the father-son duo.

"Not so good," Hogan told him, giving the medic a rundown of his son's symptoms. Wilson nodded and suggested that he have a look before giving him a brief exam. The medic's face fell the instant he took Robbie's temperature.

"Well, Sir, it's a good thing you came. He has a temperature of 101. He also sounds very congested," Wilson noted as he put the thermometer away.

"Is there anything I can give him?" Hogan asked. This was the first time Robbie was sick, and he hated seeing him in such discomfort, and so did his uncles. LeBeau even wished that the baby was older so he could have some of his Uncle Louis's "special" chicken broth.

"I'm very leery of giving a baby medication. Give him lukewarm sponge baths to cool him down, keep his head elevated so he can breathe, give him plenty of fluids, in his case, give him water in addition to his formula, and suction out his mucus. Let me get you a bulb syringe," Wilson told Hogan as he went into the back to get it. He then asked for Robbie and gave a tutorial on how to unplug the baby's nose.

Another day, another time that Robbie cries. This time, he just plain wanted his daddy, and nobody else would do.

"I can't get Robbie to calm down," Newkirk complained, pointing out that he could usually get him quiet in a second.

"I tried taking him for a walk, tried rocking him, he's been fed and changed within the last hour-and-a-half, and he just woke up from his kip," he continued, still shushing the baby and bouncing him on his arm.

"Here, let me have him," Hogan told Newkirk, who handed over the infant. After a minute or two of rocking him, Robbie was calm again and gazing up at his dad with a curious look on his face.

"See, he just wanted his daddy," the colonel explained to the corporal. He beamed as he sat down with his son in his arms, and talked about how they were going to get the two RAF pilots out of Germany.

"_Mon Dieu, _helping take care of a baby feels like being ordered around by a general," LeBeau complained, exhausted after Robbie was finally put down for the night.

"Well, then **that**," Carter replied, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb to Hogan's quarters, "**has to be the littlest general I have ever seen**."

"Yeah, he's like Burkhalter, but smaller, cuter, and with a far more pleasant disposition. I'm willing to bet you that Colonel Klink is much more willing to deal with Robbie than him," Kinch replied, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"I'm not so sure about that. Any baby, even one as relatively calm as Robbie, can test the patience of even the most experienced parent. Besides, he knows that Robbie's going to grow up to be just like me, which would be enough to keep anyone up at night," Hogan quipped with a smirk on his face.

"Not that you're prejudiced at all," Kinch piped in again.

"Of course not," the colonel replied with a broad grin on his face.

"Can the world handle _two_ Robert Hogans?" Newkirk asked as he played a game of solitaire. He wasn't allowed to smoke inside, so he had to do something to keep his mind occupied.

"It'll have to. I don't plan on going anywhere soon, and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to my son," Hogan replied adamantly.

The rest of the Unsung Heroes were impressed with what he said but weren't really surprised. Robbie had awakened something in him they had a feeling existed, but didn't have a chance to come out until now.

Since lights-out was approaching, they all got ready for bed themselves. The Heroes all knew they had a long night ahead of them, along with another busy day with Robbie.


End file.
